1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pulsed plasma devices, and more particularly to plasma tubes conformed to ionize gases in the organic protein group.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the course of evolution the smallest biological system, a living cell, has evolved polarized membranes which act both as capacitors and ionic pumps for maintaining the potentials and current flows of a wet electrical circuit. Thus, for example, the cell membrane's selective permeability of potassium (K) and sodium (Na) results in a potential difference known as the Na+/K+ pump, or electromotive force which transports selected ions across the membrane to maintain a balance. This tightly controlled balance in its various specialized forms is fundamental to life. For example in neurons the cell wall potential acts as a voltage gated Na+ pump to transmit nerve signals in response to external stimuli, in cell growth as a mechanism for transporting food (selected elements) into the cell interior, and so on.
Electrical potential, moreover, is intimately involved in virtually all cell functions. The piezoelectric signals of a bone under strain has been widely recognised as a mechanism for promoting its growth. At the microscopic level this effect is obtained by strain distortions of some of the long-chain molecules like collagen, elastin or keratin, exhibiting piezoelectric potential changes when stretched, which changes then promote growth of the ligament juncture, sectional growth and other tissue changes.
the electrical nature of all biological processes is therefore well established and has been used to advantage in various therapeautic mechanisms like that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,999 to Brighton, et al, for promoting osteogenesis; U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,009 to Kronberg for stimulating bone tissue by electrical pulses; and others. Similarly, the `wet circuit` analogy of a cell is also well established, e.g., Alberts, et al, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL, 2nd Ed, 1989, Garland Publishing, Inc., New York., N.Y.
The ionic nature of the cell interacts with various dipoles, i.e., molecules that are electrically neutral but carry charges at their ends. These then interact with the weakly polar structure of water, thereby effecting the `wet` circuit. This electrical system of the living cell, therefore, must be included in all models of cell biology.
The electrical potential, in turn, depends on the excitation state of the electrons. It is well known that when the electron around any element is at its base or ground state its ionization potential is at its greatest. The electron orbital state, therefore, affects the ionization potential and consequently the dissociation of the various molecular bonds is dependent on the electron excitation state. The characteristic discrete absorption-emission bands of each element then define, in electromagnetic energy, the difference in potential between the lowest and higher electron states.
the same exchange between discrete frequency spectra and electron orbital state is also useful as a mechanism to promote chemical reactions. Thus, for example, some biological processes entailing melanin are promoted in the presence of ultraviolet light, various resin reactions are advanced by light of a particular frequency and numerous other reactions are associated with light. The utility of specific frequency light to promote a particular reaction is therefore well established.
At the cell level inherent in any `wet` circuit is the notion of a characteristic frequency that is relatively quite low. For example, the ionic exchange at the cell wall is at the low electro-chemical frequency which, at its fastest, is associated with the nerve signal propagation across neurons, and similar time constants are associated with Negro-muscular response, mental processing interval and other characteristic frequencies of a biological structure. Typically the frequency band of these responses is constrained by scale, where the so-called scaling laws limit the dynamic response to the confines of the structure. simply, an organism cannot move so fast as to rip itself apart.
By scale, this biological frequency domain is wholly separated from the electromagnetic frequencies associated with the electron orbitals. Accordingly, a certain amount of `immunity` to various light spectra is inherent in a biological structure, allowing for a functioning system in all sorts of backgrounds. This same immunity, however, limits the efficacy of any synthetic repair or alteration process.
It is believed that for the foregoing reasons the prior art mechanisms have had less than an optimal result in affecting biological changes. To obtain the most effective results signals in both of these disparate frequency domains need to be issued, the first to promote the reactivity of the elements and the second to direct the reaction to a form consistent with cell biology. It is this wide spread in frequency domains that has not been heretofore effectively accomodated. A system that effectively operates in both frequency ranges is therefore desired and it is one implementation of such system that is disclosed herein.